Montclair State University is Awarded $1.3 Million Grant from National Institutes of Health

Program Will Take Place in Ten New Jersey Middle School After-school Programs

Montclair State
University and Dr. Mark Kaelin, professor of health and nutrition sciences in
the College of Education and Human Services were named today by the National
Institutes of Health as recipients of a $1.3 million grant for a five-year
study entitled: Epidemiology and the Energy Balance Equation.

"Epidemiology, the
basic science of public health, is typically taught to graduate students,"
says Kaelin. "It discovers the causes of health and disease by identifying
their patterns in populations, formulating causal hypotheses, testing those
hypotheses, and making inferences. This knowledge is then used to improve
health and prevent disease in those populations."

The project for which
Kaelin received funding is grounded in the belief that younger students can
learn epidemiology and understand its role in public health. Some of the issues
that can be explored with students are highly relevant to their lives:
backpacks and back pain, watching television and being overweight, or sleep
deprivation and academic performance.

Begun in August 2008,
the project is the next phase of a project that was tested in Paterson, New
Jersey schools which aims to develop the understanding of middle school
students about the science of epidemiology. It will consist of a field-testing
team of 10 pairs of science teachers, from five northern New Jersey school
districts, all members of the Montclair State University Network for
Educational Renewal.

"Knowledge of
epidemiology will prepare students to become more scientifically literate
decision makers," says Kaelin. "As a result, they will be better able
to guide their personal health-related decisions and, in later years, provide
support for public health initiatives."

The evaluation of the
curriculum will be published, presented at professional meetings, and be the
basis of professional development workshops for middle and high school
teachers. To learn more about the top eight reasons to teach epidemiology,
visit http://www.epiedmovement.org/top8.html.